Consider this hypothetical experiment:

You’re at a coffee house, and you intentionally drop a $10 bill on the floor in front of a cashier.  You sit at a table and observe how customers react (you also have plenty of replacement bills!).

I imagine a multitude of ways people may react:

• Some people wouldn’t notice the $10 on the floor.
• Some people would notice, but ignore it.
• Some would pick it up and buy themselves a coffee.
• Some may pick it up, and tell the next person in line that they just found $10!
• Some may pick it up and buy two coffees – one for themselves and one for the next person.
• Some may hand it in to the cashier.

What would you do?

When I think about “luck,” I think about people who know how to take advantage of opportunities and translate them into success.  The unlucky person doesn’t notice the $10 on the floor.  Though, maybe he does notice it, but doesn’t know how to gain mileage.

We are confronted with circumstances like these every day.  There are figurative $10 bills all around us.  Anybody can pick them up.  Why don’t they?

That’s complicated.

Recognizing and acting on opportunity is a creative endeavor.  It takes study and practice!